Australian greats Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting have slammed India's decision to drop premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the World Test Championship final against Australia. (More Cricket news)
Ashwin, who is the No 1 bowler in Test cricket and India's leading wicket-taker in the 2021-23 ꧙WTC cycle, was dropped as the Rohit Sharma-led side 𝕴bolstered the pace ammunition by playing four seamers.
"I feel that Ravichandran Ashwin is such a ꦫkey factor, the leไading wicket taker in the Tests cycle is not there. There are a few factors worth pondering on in Team India's perspective," Hayden told ICC after the day one's proceedings.
In the absence of Aꦇsܫhwin, left-armer Ravindra Jadeja is the sole spinner in the playing XI and he went wicketless as India struggled to break the 251-run partnership between Travis Head (146 batting) and Steve Smith (95 batting).
With Head's blistering century, his fiꦫrst in England, combined with Smith's resolute show Australia took the day one honours with 327/3 on the board.
World Cup-winning captain Ponting termed Ashwin's exclu🐼sion a "mistake".
"So far for me, it looks like it was a mistake from them by playing the four seamers, but we will see how the game pans out," Ponting told the IC✃C.
"As this game goes on, I have got no doubt that there is going to be turn. Australia have got a lot of left-handers in their batting line-up to which Ashwin would have been perfectly suited for," he said, as Ashwin is the most successful bowler in Tests against left-handers.ꦯ There was also debate over Rohit's "bowl-first" decision after winning the toss and Hayden said the Indian skipper may have "missed a trick".
"I feel they may have missed a trick at the t🍨oss. Even if Pat Cummins said he would have liked to bowled, I secretly think Australia always like to bat first in Tests. I feel like Rohit Sharma was caught into thinking that we're going to play the day rather than playing the Test match."
Travis Head -- 'modern day Adam Gilchrist'
The day one belonged to the aggressive Head whose 146 came from just 156 deliverie🗹s as he counter-attacked the Indian𝓰 attack as the wicket eased out.
Hayden and Ponting compared Head as to the teammate and legendary wicketkeeper batter Adam Gilchrist after he swung the momentum in Au🐈stralia's favour in the 'Ultimate Test'.
"It was a classical Travis Head attacking style. One of the things in this Championshi🥃p cycle is that🍨 Head not only scored over 1000 runs but he did at a strike rate of 80-plus," Hayden said
"That's really hard to do when you are playing a tournament of such pressure, and also you are under enormous pressure because of the atmospheric conditions. But he finds a way to get this terrific strike rate. He is almost like Adam Gilchrist was in his day, somehow able to put so much pressure on opposition simply ꦛbecause they do not know where to bowl," Hayden added.
Gilchrist had a strike-rate of 81.95 during his illustrious Test🐎 career and Head is waཧlking down a similar path having scored at a similar clip during Australia's World Test Championship campaign.
"He probably is (similar t💛o Gilchrist). In fact he is probably scoring quicke🌟r now than Gilly probably ever did," Ponting said.
"His strike-rate through this (World Test Championship) qualification period is 81, which is higher t💧han anyone else in the world to have scored more than 500 runs."
Shami and Co erred in their length
Ponting further said India's pacers erred with their length ear♔ly against Head.
"I think when he first comes 𒁃in you need to execute perfectly to him. It🌠 is no good trying to over attack him because if you bowl any bad ball, he is going to put it away," Ponting noted.
"They will learn by the way they bowled to him in this first innings, and they will definitely adjust in this🔯 second innings, but sometimes it is too late."
